Nissan takes on Google with self-driving car research center in Sunnyvale

Nissan Motor Co. has joined several other car companies bringing R&D to Silicon Valley.

The car company opened a research center in Sunnyvale that will employ more than 60 engineers and technicians and focus on “self-driving vehicles and Internet-connected auto technology.”

According to Bloomberg, the center moves work to Sunnyvale that was previously done in Japan. Maarten Sierhuis, a former NASA scientist who has specialized in artificial intelligence, will run the facility, according to the report, which will employ more than 60 within the next three years.

The center will “work with automotive labs at Stanford University, the University of California’s Berkeley and Davis campuses, and Silicon Valley companies,” according to Bloomberg, which cites Nissan’s senior vice president for North American research and development Carla Bailo.

Nissan follows closely behind car companies like Ford Motor, which opened its own Valley offices early last year. Read more about that here.